Middletown Friendly's to reopen in March

Franchise owner Brian Myers said that he plans on reopening the Middletown Friendly's sometime in March.

Kim Manahan

The Middletown Friendly's, which was gutted in a blaze June 27, is slated to reopen in March, said franchise owner Brian Myers.

The Dove Run Shopping Center restaurant will be rebuilt, he said. The building is under construction and preparation work is planned to start this week.

Myers said that rebuilding the popular family restaurant has taken longer than expected due to things out of his control.

At around 3:31 p.m. June 27, a fire started outside of the building in the mulch along its exterior.

The Delaware State Fire Marshall's Office ruled the blaze accidental.

Most of the fire was contained within the first 20 minutes by fire personnel from Odessa, Port Penn, Delaware City, Clayton, Aetna Hose Hook & Ladder of Newark, Middletown, and the Wilmington Fire Company.

No injuries were reported.

An actual reopening date has not been set yet. Myers said that he plans on knowing more in the coming weeks.